I used to think some things were odd; the woman standing at the corner of Central Avenue and North Clinton dressed in a heavy winter coat, a wool cap and boots…when the temperature is close to 80 muggy degrees. I used to think that odd.
At that particular corner, she’s standing only a few short blocks from where a specialty clothing factory tailors $2,000 plus suits…worn by businessman in Manhattan. The divergent paths will never cross…the over dressed woman who waves an illegible placard as she scuttles across North Clinton heading in the general direction of the train station…and the canyons of Manhattan. That’s odd.
But it’s no longer odd to me.
I used to say that ‘our students have no transitional clothing; going from winter coats and boots to t-shirts and flip flops’. Nothing in between. They endure a 4 season world with a 2 season wardrobe. Winter or summer. Black or white. A crumpled placard or a $2,000 suit.
To live in the middle, to thrive within nuances is an unheard of luxury.
The middle should be a safe place, but it’s not. Now that’s odd…
690 Saint Paul 